2015 Shakespeare Competition Winner

Congratulations to the 2015 ESU Boston Branch Shakespeare Winner, Elizabeth Mears, from Wellesley High School and her teacher, Stephen Wrobleski. Paul Boghosian, President, congratulates her as a finalist in the national competition. Good luck at the National Competition in New York City!

More than a century before the American Revolution, Bostonians—and Boston ideals—played a role in overthrowing another English king. The Rainborowes bridges two generations and two worlds as it carries the reader back and forth across the Atlantic, between Boston and England, weaving together the lives of different members of the Rainborowe clan (including members of other prominent Boston families to whom they were related) as they struggle to forge a better life for themselves and a better future for humankind in the New World and in the Old, as colonists, entrepreneurs and idealists. The narrative unfolds between 1630 and 1660 – a time which shattered England and shaped America – and follows the fortunes of William Rainborowe, a formidable merchant-mariner and shipmaster, and his equally formidable sons and daughters. As it does, the reader comes to know and understand not only the lives and loves of a single family, but the dreams of an entire culture – confused and chaotic, catching hold of hope and losing its grip on old certainties.

Your participation will provide vital support and enthusiasm for our cast of brave and brilliant students and your hopes for the next generation will be enhanced by seeing these young people in action doing important work. It is by no means an accident that our past contestants have gone onto illustrious careers in academia, the professions and industry. You will be the better for joining us at this final.

National Shakespeare Competition

Event

The National Shakespeare Competition semi-finals will take place on Saturday, February 22 at the Sorenson Center for the Arts at Babson College located on 231 Forest St., Park Manor South, Wellesley, MA 02457 strating at 10:00 a.m.

The Boston Branch is collaborating with the British School of Boston and the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.

The finals will be at the Tufte Performace Production Center in the Semel Theater of Emerson College on Saturday, March 1 at 12:30 p.m.

21 Schools are participating in the Semi-Finals at Babson from which approximately 10 will participate in the finals at Emerson. We welcome all visitors. We would like to have an enthusiastic and substantial audience for these deserving, brave, and highly talented young Shakespeare competitors.

A Pre-Oscar Evening with Ty Burr

News

Take a look at this flyer! Click Here. This is a unique ESU event that we are co-sponsoring with the Union Club of Boston. It's a great value - at $30, you will be sufficiently satiated with hors d'oeuvres plus a complimentary glass of wine prior to hearing Ty Burr's stimulating talk on the Oscar and Bafta films nominated this year, how they got to this position - and what is going to happen next. You will go out on a limb and pick winners and losers and explain why, given industry politics in Britain and the United States.

Speaker Event a Big Success

Collaboration between the Colonial Society of Massachusetts and ESU Boston produced a wonderful event!

The evening took place on Dec 19 at the beautiful town house on Beacon Hill of the Colonial Society.

Nathaniel Philbrick spoke wisely, lucidly and with great passion on not only the substance and story-line of Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution, but also on the research and great amount of interviewing that took place providing the historical anecdotes and insights, and novel-like presentation of the material. We had a splendid turnout of our members at this afternoon event and our members demonstrated great enthusiasm for the subject matter and for Philbrick's presentation, after trudging through snow and ice to make the event.